Resource and Talent Planning

This report discusses talent management and workforce planning in the retail industry, focusing on the case of Sainsbury. It analyzes current labour market trends and legal requirements that influence talent management. It also explores the current and anticipated skills required in the industry and provides examples of job descriptions and person specifications for effective recruitment and selection.

Resource and Talent
Planning

INTRODUCTION
Talent management and planning is a process involving thorough assessing and evaluating
the organisational present talent in the company and evaluating it against the current and future
requirements of the company which are essential for it to accomplish its strategic and tactical
objectives. It is an essential process which is conducted by the HR unit of an entity in order to
fulfil the expectations and requirements of a company in relation with the human resource and
workforce (Kavanagh and et. al., 2017). The current report is demonstrated in relation with
Sainsbury which is a second largest retail supermarket chain established in United Kingdom. The
company was developed in 1869 by John James Sainsbury and it is headquartered in London,
United Kingdom. The company deals in retail industry serving only in United Kingdom with the
help of their supermarkets, convenience shop, superstores, hypermarkets and forecourt shop. The
assignment analysis the current labour market trends which is influencing talent management and
workforce planning in the retail sector along with explaining different legal requirements which
are needed to be fulfilled by the retail company while planning for the workforce. Moreover the
report also covers the requirement of current and anticipated skills in the particular company in
relation with the current trends and demonstrates appropriate person specification and job
description for the respective job role. At the end the HR life cycle is applied in organisational
context and integrated with its HR strategy.
TASK 1
P1. Analysing current labour market trends that influence talent management and workforce
planning.
The human resource management is defined as a process which is essential and necessary
for a business administration engaging in various activities and functions for framing efficient
policies and plans for individuals working in the entity as the employees and workforce. Human
resource Department develops strategies and aims towards combining and creating Synergy in
organisational culture and its objectives and goals of employees. Therefore workforce planning
and talent management is considered as most critical and essential HR in function that is needed
to be considered and undertaken by all different firms for increasing and enhancing the talents
and abilities of the workforce for increasing their productivity and performance levels (Pandita
and Ray, 2018).

Overview of the organisation:
Sainsbury is a supermarket store that established in United Kingdom and serves to the
people of the UK as it is the fourth largest supermarket chain in the market. Sainsbury was
founded in 1869 and currently engages almost 116, 400 within the company serving 2 millions of
customers on a daily basis. The Retail industry is the core industry in which materials offerings
of goods and services in order to effective achievement and increment in their profitability and
productivity standards.
Types of labour:
There are several different types of labourers and employees or workforce is work in an
organisation on different organisational levels according to its structure. In Sainsbury there are
three types of employees involved in operations of the entity which are as follows:
 Semi-skilled labours are those employees working on the operational level of Sainsbury
knowing and were the saying the best effective mechanical abilities and skills to operate
the machinery of the company (Longenecker and et. al., 2013).
 Skilled Labour are those employees who are experts and requires time to time training
and education for working and performing their job roles in the most efficient manner.
 Unskilled Labour are those employees who are basically working on the very lowest
level in Sainsbury and who are mainly lacks training and required skills for completing a
particular task.
Current Market trend that are affecting retail industry talent management:
The Retail industry is a very dynamic and rapidly changing industry in the United Kingdom
due to several factors making the economy and markets external conditions highly fluctuating
and unpredictable. The current trends in the market that are affecting the Retail industry and
talent management of an organisation are as:
 Advanced technologies are the most common and flourishing Trend that is being
affecting the whole market and different industries along with different businesses
existing in it. The Retail industry is also affected due to the increment taking place in
technologies and digital tools. In the marketing sector digitalisation and advanced
techniques contributes a lot making the operations more automatic (Al-Zagheer, 2018).
Due to this reason it is becoming problem for an organisation to manage the talents and
planned the future and current workforce appropriately for the company because with the

changing trends and updating technologies the company also need to update itself
creating new requirements which are very frequent and unpredictable.
 Increasing e-commerce is another very flourishing trend which is the impact of
advanced technologies as well. With the help of e-commerce many businesses have seen
use percentage reduction in their physical store sales in relation with their online sales.
This automatically creates a large opportunity for technicians and techno friendly
employees creating lot of lost in jobs as the retail stores are now cutting their employee
base because of fewer requirements in the physical world and more requirements in the
virtual technology (Meyers and et. al., 2013).
 Globalisation, in this modern developing world, every administrative company operates
their business with the motive of expansion in international waters. With the help of this
business can potentially able to earn their competitive edge also their market share will
improve as well. Moreover, Sainsbury will be able to recruit talented, skilled and
potential employees from overseas which help them in fulfil their goals and objectives in
well-defined manner.
P2. Explaining the different types of legal requirements a retail organisation must take into
account when workforce planning.
For operating dysfunction and managing the activities related to it is very important for a
company to abide own legal laws and regulations for promoting uniformity within the
organisational structure and also to keep the company in order aligning it with the legal laws and
regulations issued by the government. The top level management of the business and in this case
of Sainsbury are responsible for developing effective policies for finishing legal needs of the
business entity. Thus, in order to be safe from any legal charges and large penalties of lawful
issues Sainsbury is required to perform important and necessary labour laws within the
workforce planning. These laws and regulations are as follows:
 Employment Rights Act, 1996 regulate Labour Day within the United Kingdom passed
by the legislative assembly for effectively protecting and regulating rights of employees.
The company’s Sainsbury is required to comply and enforce the employment right act for
appropriate paid leaves, redundancy and unfair dismissal of employees. the Human
resource Department of the company is required to align the rules according to the

employment rights act in order to create ethical working environment within the company
(Alexander, 2018).
 Equality Act, 2010 is the law that has been developed by the parliament for protecting
the rights of individuals who are working in respective organisations on different post
according to their abilities and knowledge. As per this act there should be no
discrimination taking place in the organisation and organisational structure of Sainsbury
on the basis of caste, nationality, sex and colour of an individual. The human resource
manager and top level management are responsible for or looking over such issues in the
company and to treat every employee as a same and equal for retaining and regaining its
staff for the long period of time.
 Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974, was created by the parliament government for
potentially regulating employee’s welfare health and safety within a company. According
to this law Sainsbury is responsible for complying health and safety at work act 1974
within the premises of the company in order to safeguard the company from any legal
charges and increasing the Goodwill level in the market leading them towards higher
revenues and better productivity of employees.
TASK 2
P3. Based on current labour market trends and legal requirements determining current and
anticipated skills requirements in organisational context.
In above sections it is analysed and identified that there are several fluctuations taking
place in the Retail industry due to which several different changes which are dynamic in nature
are taking place in the industry and in the skill requirement of organisations (Siikaniemi, 2012).
The workforce planning strategies and patterns of the companies are changing according to the
current sense and the legal requirements. According to these changes few current and anticipated
skills which are required bi Sainsbury in their workforce are mentioned and described
underneath:
Current Skills:
 Technological knowledge and expertise- According to the current trends which
operating in the Retail industry and which are very significant for Sainsbury are directly
and indirectly connected with increasing use of technology and regular advancement

taking place in it. Therefore according to these retain industry trends Sainsbury have also
evolved and making its operations operate with two appropriate channels that is physical
and online in the virtual world with the help of e-commerce. This increases the rise and
requirement of technological knowledge and expertise in staff of the entity working with
Sainsbury.
 Communication skill- There are few employable and transferable skills which are
searched by every employer in their employees so that to make them employable and
work in the most efficient and most productive manner. Communication skills are one of
the most prominent and necessary employability skill that is being searched by all the
employers in their employees and according to which the workforce planning is a
conducted by the HR manager and top level management of Sainsbury. As the company
deals in service oriented industry it is very important that employees hold appropriate
communication skills in order to effectively interact and conversation with one another
and with customers in order to provide them the best purchasing experience with the
brand and satisfying their needs.
Anticipated Skills:
 Change management- This is the first and foremost anticipated skill which is needed by
the workforce of Sainsbury as with the advancement taking place in technological
scenarios and technologies there are also rapid variations happening in external and
internal business environment of company. Therefore it is very essential for Sainsbury’s
top level management and HR manager to provide environment for their employees
which is leading them towards adopting changes and effectively working according to it
that will also enhance their productivity and efficiency levels (Sparrow and et. al., 2015).
 Performance Management- Another essential anticipated skill which are being
potentially search by the HR managers of Sainsbury in their work force is of performance
management. With the rapid changing business scenarios the performance standards and
expectations of company is also revolving. In addition to it rewards and appraisals of
individuals are also dependent on their performances. The four Sainsbury’s HR manager
holes and idea to identify and bring in those employees in the company who have better
and higher performance standards on which they offer them rewards in order to motivate
and encourage their self esteem in the positive manner and in favour of the company.

TASK 3
P4. Producing appropriate examples of job description and person specification documents for
effective recruitment and selection.
JOB DESCRIPTION
A job description is a formal document that is developed by an organisation all the
responsibilities of the particular job role for which the company is conducting recruitment and
selection activities. Job description is a broad, general and written statement of a specific job and
the findings conducted by the manager in relation with the role of the individual related to the
job. The job description generally includes duties responsibilities scope purpose of a specific job
along with the job title and the name of the particular department to home the new employee
belongs and reports. Sainsbury’s HR manager is developing a job description for the role of a
marketing manager which is attached below.
Job Description
Job Details
Job Position: Marketing Manager
Company Name: Sainsbury
Reports To: Administration Department
Job Purpose
The marketing manager of Sainsbury will be responsible for performing several different roles
and responsibilities amongst which the most important and priority of the individual is to
develop effective strategies in relation with Marketing the offerings of the company along with
creating efficient brand name of it in the market.
Responsibilities and roles
 Developing implementing and executing marketing strategies.
 Personally supervising and resolving the issues in marketing team.
 Enhancing the brand image.
 Coordinating and managing marketing and creative staff.
 Conducting meeting with executives for determining marketing budgets and establishing
appropriate targets along with developing pricing strategies for specific products and

services.
Job Description
Job Details
Job Position: Accountant
Company Name: Sainsbury
Reports To: Accounts Department
Job Purpose
The accountant of Sainsbury is responsible for looking over all the day to day financial
transactions of company and also for developing day to day, monthly and annual records of
company.
Responsibilities and roles
 Evaluation of all the financial transactions of company on daily basis.
 Developing records for company for monthly and annual basis.
 Complying accounting practices with the requirements of law and applicable accounting
standards.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
A person specification is also a formal document that is a description of the skills,
qualification, experience, knowledge and other selected attributes which a company is expecting
by the candidates and which is compulsory for them to possess for performing the relevant job
roles (Stredwick, 2013).
Person Specification
Job Position Marketing manager
Department Marketing
Qualification  Bachelors in marketing specialisation and in related field.
 Masters in Business administration in marketing.
Skills Required  Effective presentation skills.

 Potential communication skills.
 Highly developed and demonstrated team working abilities.
 Analytical and interpersonal skills.
Experience  At least 2 years of experience as a marketing manager in other retail
supermarkets.
Person Specification
Job Position Accountant
Department Accounts Department
Qualification  Bachelors in accounting and in related field.
 Master’s in accounts.
 Diploma in IFRS.
Skills Required  Appropriate knowledge of MS Excel, MS Word and MS Office.
 Effective analytical and critical thinking skills.
 Efficient speaker and communicator.
Experience  At least 3-4 years of experience as Accountant in other retail
supermarkets.
P5. Applying different recruitment and selection methods for effective talent resourcing and
planning.
The recruitment and selection activity is considered as the most critical and the most
essential job responsibility of a HR manager and all the HR staff which are associated with the
company and responsible for providing the entire workforce as per expectations of the company
aligning them with the current requirements of the market as well. It is very important for the HR
department of an organisation to provide the best and the most potential expert individuals to the
companies for performing specific job roles in the most efficient and the most productive
manner. the HR manager of Sainsbury is also responsible for conducting recruitment and
selection activities for filling the vacant position of a marketing manager for the company.
Therefore, different recruitment and selection methods for effective gallantry source and

workforce planning which are suitable for Sainsbury are mentioned in the next section (Tansley
and et. al., 2013).
Recruitment
This is the process of creating a pool of candidates, before which the HR manager will first
identified the job vacancy, analyse the requirements review the appropriate applications for
creating a pool and shortlisting appropriate candidates. The recruitment process is a positive
process as people are invited in the company for or the specific job role. Sainsbury can make use
of either internal or external recruitment process for filling the vacancy of a marketing manager.
 Internal Recruitment is a process where Sainsbury will look to fill the vacant job by the
existing staff with the help of promotions and transfers. Here the HR manager of
Sainsbury will be looking for the efficient individual for the post of marketing manager
from the existing employee base and more specifically from the existing marketing team
present in the company (Thunnissen and et. al., 2013).
 External Recruitment is the process where the HR manager of Sainsbury will move out
and look for fresh talent to bring in the company for the job role of a marketing manager.
External recruitment process is a little bit expensive for the company but with the help of
social media it is very easy for the managers to attract and review the applications of
several individuals saving a lot of time and money of the company and also developing a
effective list of individuals which are appropriate for the job role. The HR manager of
Sainsbury while conducting external recruitment practices will make use of
advertisement for attracting the most talented and suitable crowd for the selection process
in relation with the vacant position. Once applicants are attracted then HR department
will collect their CV’s for identifying the suitable candidate for the vacant job.
Selection
Once the recruitment process is completed and a pool of individuals is created by the HR
staff of Sainsbury now the selection process initiates. Selection process is basically a negative
process as hear the candidates are asked to leave if they do not fit with the job role and with the
requirements of the company. There are several different selection process which can be used by
the HR manager of Sainsbury in order to field position of a marketing manager. These selection
approaches are as follows:

 Group discussion is the first round there the individuals are divided into smaller teams
and they will be asked to discuss on specific topic their communication and various other
skills such as interpersonal skills are analysed and evaluated by the selecting executives.
 Interview is the next stage where the candidates who cleared the group discussion round
will move and they will be separately and individually interviewed by the experts. In the
interviews specific field related questions will be asked by the selective panel where
experts and top-level Management executives are present.
TASK 4
P6. Evaluating the stages of the HR life-cycle applied to specific HR contexts.
The human resource and the workforce of the company has effective and systematic
approach for a model which is specifically focus towards employee engagement in the company
and their involvement in the operations. The HR life cycle is basically a employee life cycle
model which has five stages providing a unique engagement strategy for each stage. These stages
are discussed below in context with Sainsbury.
 Recruitment and selection is the primary stage of the HR life cycle where the activities
are conducted in relation with collection of resumes of candidates who are interested in
working with the company, advertisement of the job, creating a pool of individuals and
finally conducting selection process such as group discussion and interview. this stage of
life cycle will provide the Human resource Department of Sainsbury to attract and bring
in the best candidate for the respective job role in the company (Ulrich and et. al., 2012).
 Onboarding is the second stage there Sainsbury and the Human resource Department is
required to conduct effective orientation and training sessions for the individual in order
to develop understanding and interaction with the newcomer and for introducing the
company to them. With the help of this stage the company can make employees
comfortable and enable them to know about the specific strategic objectives and mission
and vision of Sainsbury.
 Development stage is initiated once the new employee starts working and performing
their job in the company. Fear the job role of the HR department of Sainsbury is to invest
in providing better learning opportunities and attractive challenges to the individuals
when the will have a chance to show their potentials and also to move further in their

career in the company. for development of employees and for gaining loyalty and trust in
favor of the company it is the most potential stage and creating better opportunities for
them is the most favorable path to nurture people skill.
 Retention is the fourth and the second last stage of the HR lifecycle which is considered
to be the most critical step in it. On this step is very important and essential for the HR of
Sainsbury for effectively assessing the potentials and performances of employee in order
to reward and appraise their performances that will automatically motivate and increases
the staff. The increment in motivation level automatically enhances the loyalty and trust
of the individual on Sainsbury making them stay for the longer period of time in the
company and performing with the most potential and abilities.
 Exit is the last stage of the HR life cycle where they will be responsible for assessing the
performances of individuals and appropriately plan for the workforce of Sainsbury in
order to remove few individuals who are not what are appropriate for the company along
with holding a responsibility to start the process of attracting other candidates in order to
fill the vacant position if any employee is been removed or leave the job for other specific
reasons.
P7. Evaluate how stages of the HR life-cycle are integrated within organisational HR strategy.
It is the job role and responsibility of the age of our department of Sainsbury for converting
the above-mentioned stages of our life cycle into action and aligning them with the HR strategies
of the company in order to accomplish strategic organisational goals and requirements in relation
with the workforce. Therefore underneath is the discussion conducted for integration of these
stages which the HR strategy of Sainsbury.
 Recruitment and selection procedures of Sainsbury are to initially advertise the job role
in the public for attracting better candidates and creating a pool with the help of
recruitment activities. Once the nature stars of Sainsbury develops a appropriate pool
now the HR manager is responsible for selecting and hiring potential employee according
to the job role with the help of group discussion and interview approaches (Waheed and
et. al., 2013).
 Onboarding is the stage where the Human resource Department of Sainsbury is
responsible for conducting effective orientation and training sessions for the new

employee for making significant interactions with them and providing them appropriate
knowledge about the company and its operations.
 Development stage is where the Human resource Department of Sainsbury is responsible
for providing significant opportunities to the new employee in relation with their job role
and professional development so as to enhance their productivity and effectively attaining
organisational goal.
 Retention is the most critical stage where the Human resource Department is responsible
for developing and providing appropriate rewards and appraisals to the employee in order
to motivate them and give their loyalty towards Sainsbury and making them stay with the
company for the longer period.
 Exit stages where human resource manager of Sainsbury need to analyse the database of
the employee which is containing all the information related to them and their
performances in the company. This stage will provide the HR manager to effectively
accomplish activities at the time of resignation and termination and also at the time of
retirement. Along with it, the Human resource Department will also gain information to
further conduct the recruitment and selection process in order to bring in the right
candidate for the vacant job post (Oseghale, and et. al., 2018).
The HR strategy and HR life-cycle of Sainsbury is integrated, as the human resource
department is responsible for bringing and providing the best staff to the company. The
integration of HR strategy and HR life-cycle provides human resource department of Sainsbury
to be successful in their actions and also to attract the most suitable and efficient workforce.
CONCLUSION
Above report conclude that talent planning and resourcing is process which is related
with managing the workforce of the company along with fulfilling the expectations and
requirements of it by bringing in suitable and expertise candidates for the organisational
structure. In addition to this the report also who is discussion about numerous laws and
legislations which are required for the organisation to align with their II functions in order to
restrain themselves for engaging in any e legal charges. For the more it's very important for
company to to develop effective recruitment and selection processes for attracting and recruiting
the best staff for the company which are potential enough to fulfil the organisational goals and
objectives.

REFERENCES